Isaiah Brown, shot by Virginia deputy who gave him ride home, in critical condition

The 32-year-old man shot multiple times by a Virginia deputy who had just given the man a ride home is on a breathing machine and in critical condition, an attorney for his family said Monday.

Isaiah Brown was shot on Wednesday by a Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office deputy who had recently given Brown a lift home after his car broke down. He was only holding a cordless house phone outside his home when he was shot, Brown family attorney David Haynes said.

Haynes said Monday that Brown was shot at least 10 times. Two bullets have been removed from his body and eight remain, surgeons have told the family. "He's on a breathing machine and remains in very critical condition," Haynes said, adding that Brown is "touch and go."

"My concern at this point is just for my son to hopefully come home alive," Brown's mother, Jennifer Brown, said Monday.

Haynes asked that Sheriff Roger Harris not comment any further on Brown's condition, saying the sheriff had downplayed the extent of Brown's injuries.

Brown's family was also "incredulous" that Harris told a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters that the deputy who shot at Brown, who has not been identified by the sheriff's office, "actually saved this gentleman's life."

"I believe that the sheriff was reporting to the fact that he performed CPR, as of course he is required and trained to do. But it is incredible that he would make that statement that he saved his life by rendering CPR after he's the one that shot him 10 times," Haynes said.

The attorney, with the Cochran Firm in Washington, D.C., said the firm will formally request the full audio between the deputy and the dispatcher who was on the phone with Brown.

Body camera video and at least part of the call between Brown and the dispatcher have been released, but Haynes is requesting the call between the dispatcher and the deputy because Brown had told the dispatcher that he was not armed, meaning "this was clearly a failure of communication between the dispatch and the officers that arrived on scene."

"He made it totally clear that he did not have a weapon that he did not have a gun, and he was calling for assistance from 911," Haynes said. "In fact, the same deputies had just given him a ride and assisted him for a broken down vehicle just within the past 30 to 45 minutes, but before they knew exactly who he was, that he was not armed not dangerous."

When Brown got home, he dialed 911 because he said his brother wouldn't let him into his mother's room to retrieve his car keys and other items, according to audio of the dispatch call. The sheriff's department categorized it as a domestic disturbance call.

The dispatcher seemed to be aware that deputies had just driven him home. "Your car is broken down, so why do you need your keys?" the dispatcher asked.

At one point during the call, Brown can be heard threatening to kill his brother and saying, "Give me the gun."

“Don’t kill your brother,” the dispatcher said.

“Alright,” Brown replied.

“Why would you say something like that?” the dispatcher asked.

“Somebody needs to come here real quick,” Brown said.

But when the dispatcher asks whether he has a weapon on him, Brown says, "Nope."

Brown told dispatch that was "walking down the road" with his house phone.

The deputy who responded to the call appeared to believe the phone to his ear is a firearm. The deputy is heard saying, "He's got a gun to his head."

"Drop the gun," he yelled before opening fire. "Drop the gun, now!"

The deputy who shot Brown was placed on administrative leave, and a special state prosecutor will investigate, Harris said in a statement. He has not been identified.

Brown's sister, Yolanda Brown, said Monday that her brother is a home health aide, who is "the life of the party" and "known for his smile."

"He has a good heart. He's a good person. And if anybody ever had the opportunity to meet him, they will tell you the same," she said.

"Anybody knows that if you call on Isaiah, he will be there. He will be there," Yolanda Brown said.

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